Nothing helped Thomas Hanscome of San Juan Capistrano stop smoking cigarettes until he discovered a new form of nicotine consumption that's fast become a trend in Orange County and throughout the country.

Electronic cigarettes vaporize flavored, liquid nicotine that gives users their fix without the tar and chemicals that come with tobacco. And there's no smoke involved. The battery-powered devices led Hanscome – a self-described pack-a-day smoker for decades – essentially to abandon a habit he said he always hated. He gradually weaned himself down to just a few milligrams of liquid nicotine each day and says the reason he continues isn't addiction. Rather, he simply enjoys it.

“Technology has come to the point where it will eliminate tobacco from people's lives if they want it eliminated,” Hanscome said. “It's self-therapy.”

The discovery also led Hanscome, who is retired from the financial services and investment industry, to open a store in San Juan Capistrano that sells electronic cigarettes and accessories.

Open since May 18, Vaperie in the Marbella Plaza is among about a dozen such stores in the county to open in the last few years, including in San Clemente, Lake Forest and Mission Viejo. E-Cig City, which opened on Pacific Coast Highway in Laguna Beach about three years ago, is believed to be the first e-cig store on the West Coast.

But the new form of nicotine consumption hasn't come without controversy. Research into the health effects is inconclusive. The University of California recently announced a ban on all smoking and tobacco products that will be go into effect in January on all campuses, and it includes electronic cigarettes.

A police-led forum on new drug trends held in Laguna Niguel this year focused on e-cigs and their capacity to contain substances such as THC, the active ingredient in marijuana. The Capistrano Unified School District also recently revised its student disciplinary policies to include the devices under the tobacco products ban.

Meanwhile, business owners like Hanscome are capitalizing on a trend that's only gaining more momentum. On June 10, NJOY, an Arizona-based company that manufactures e-cigarettes, announced it had raised $75 million from a group of Silicon Valley investors. NJOY says it will use the money to study and develop the product through research, marketing and international expansion.

Investors include entrepreneur Sean Parker, who created the file-sharing software Napster and said in a statement that he's “drawn to disruptive companies in explosive new markets.”

ECLECTIC OFFERINGS

Samantha Burkhalter and Andrea Wyatt of Irvine gathered around a display cabinet in Hanscome's shop last week, considering various kits – Hanscome said he specializes in start-up kits – and sampling flavors. Strawberry daiquiri. Cinnamon. Banana cream. Bourbon and cola.

Wyatt quit smoking cigarettes 10 years ago, but the flavors and soothing nature of the liquid nicotine prompted her to buy a kit. She and her husband, Jason Wyatt, who works at Vaperie with Hanscome, used to enjoy visiting Hookah bars.

“This is similar,” Jason Wyatt said. “And it's healthier.”

How much healthier? No one knows for sure. The long-term effects of nicotine consumption and vapor inhalation have yet to be studied conclusively.

In a June 9 Wall Street Journal article, FDA tobacco czar Mitch Zeller described the e-cigarette market as “the wild, wild West” in terms of regulation and declined to discuss possible regulatory attempts.

Hanscome sells about 35 flavors at his store in San Juan Capistrano. Hundreds more are available, but Hanscome said he only sells what he's tried and likes. It's part of his approach to business: Appeal to upper-middle-class customers looking for a place to purchase products that doesn't resemble a marijuana-laden head shop.

“I'm trying to appeal to the typical San Juan resident,” he said.

A DIFFERENT VIEWPOINT

While Hanscome said he enjoys vaping even without being addicted to nicotine, not all e-cigarette supporters promote the products as a leisure activity. Aaron Obdendorf, who has worked at E-Cig City in Laguna Beach for about a year, said he discourages people who don't smoke from trying vaporization.

“I can't stop them from buying it, but I can discourage it,” said Obdendorf, whose stepfather, Jason Shaeffer, owns the store.

Richard Bracamonte, owner of Marbella Plaza, said he hopes the devices help smokers quit.

He also sees e-cigs as a public alternative for smokers unable to light up because of state and local restrictions.

“If somebody smokes and they want to smoke someplace where smoking isn't allowed, you can use one of these,” Bracamonte said. “This is a way they can smoke and not bother anybody.”

But others aren't so sure. Just as the University of California plans to ban the devices, some city councils, including in Riverside County, have added e-cigarettes to ordinances that prohibit smoking in public. And some businesses won't allow it: Jason Wyatt said he tried using an e-cig at a lounge in Irvine but was asked to leave.

Hanscome said he's prepared for possible regulations: He obtained a state license to sell tobacco products in anticipation that it will soon be required of all e-cigarettes sellers. So far, no such requirement exists, according to the California State Board of Equalization.

But as the trend grows, Hanscome said more people seem to accept e-cigarettes. Or at least he .

“I've had some strange looks in restaurants, but most of the wait staff knows what I'm doing,” he said. “Bartenders especially.”

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